You may think that working for yourself is a dream come true, but it comes with a handful of downsides and pitfalls you'll want to watch out for. Here are a few of the worst so you know what to expect should you decide to adventure into the world of freelancing.

As life and career blog Personal Dividends points out, the dream of working for yourself can be a bit of a nightmare if you don't know what you're in for. You end up paying both sides of the payroll tax, you have to work a lot more in the beginning, there's no such thing as paid vacation, and when you screw up it's you that screwed up. You don't get to blame failures on anyone else, and if you do work and don't get paid it is entirely your problem to deal with.

None of this is to say that you shouldn't venture into freelancing, but before you do you ought to weigh the benefits of self-employment against the many disadvantages. Doing everything yourself can take quite a toll, so make sure you're ready before you take the plunge. As someone who worked for himself for several years, I can easily say I do not prefer it. The freedom is nice, but there are jobs out there that provide the same freedom without the need to go out and regularly find new work. On the other hand, it's definitely experience I'm glad I had. You learn to appreciate the work your superiors do very quickly when you've spent some time in their shoes.